Chimney fires are not uncommon happenings, and most chimney fires are extinguished by removing the source of the fuel that causes the fire. The "fuel" for a chimney fire results from a build up of soot and creosote on the inner lining of the chimney due to usage of a fireplace or woodburning stove. The accumulation of this fuel is especially severe when soft woods, such as pine, or green wood that is not sufficiently dried is burned in a fireplace or stove. If the user is not diligent in cleaning the chimney, the build up can be sufficient to cause a fire. Since a chimney fire can generate enough heat to cause considerable damage to the chimney itself and generate enough radiant heat to ignite the building surrounding the chimney, a devastating building fire can result. Therefore, if a chimney fire occurs, it is important to extinguish the fire as quickly and safely as possible.
There are only four basic methods that are available in extinguishing any fire, including a chimney fire. In one method, the heat of the fire can be removed by the application of water, for example. However, removing the heat and cooling a chimney fire with water can cause the chimney to crack, often doing more damage than the fire itself.
Another known method of extinguishing a fire is to reduce the oxygen level below that required to support combustion. Reduction of the oxygen level can be accomplished by smothering the fire with a dry powder fire extinguisher. However, removing the oxygen supply to the fire is difficult to achieve in a chimney fire. Occasionally, the fire can be slowed, but not extinguished, in a chimney by closing a damper to limit the oxygen supply or by utilizing a dry powder fire extinguisher. Neither of these techniques has been effective in extinguishing a chimney fire. In addition, a technique that has been used in chimney fires is to use a "chimney stick" that will ignite a separate fire at the bottom of the chimney so that the smoke from the chimney stick will fill the chimney and replace the available oxygen. However, the smoke from the chimney stick presents another hazard to any firefighter on the roof.
A third basic method of extinguishing a fire is to interrupt the chemical reaction of the fire process. This method requires the use of a specialized fire extinguisher and is primarily used around sensitive electrical equipment such as computers. The method is relatively difficult to use and is not especially effective for a chimney fire. Therefore it is rarely used.
The last know method of extinguishing a fire is to remove the fuel source, such as by shutting off a gas line or stopping a gas leak. In the case of a chimney, regular cleaning of the chimney should prevent the build up of the fuel source and lessen the risk of fire. However, once a fire starts in a chimney, the preferred and most logical way to extinguish the fire is to remove the fuel source for the fire. Presently, this is the preferred method of extinguishing chimney fires since it involves the least risk of causing additional property damage.
At the present time, once the fire has ignited, removing the source of fuel from the fire in a chimney is accomplished by removing the build up of combustible material in the chimney during the fire. This is commonly done by introducing into the chimney a chain or other heavy cleaning device to dislodge the buildup of combustible material from the chimney liner. Obviously, this can expose the fire fighter to several dangers, including falling from steep roofs especially when icy or slippery, injury from flames or sparks emanating from the chimney and inhaling smoke and particles of combustion. Moreover, any item introduced into the chimney for cleaning will quickly heat to a hazardous temperature, and although asbestos gloves were available for handling the overheated cleaning device, asbestos gloves are no longer readily available due to the health concerns of asbestos. Normal fire fighting gloves cannot provide a sufficient level of protection.
As fireplaces and wood burning stoves become more common in homes, the number of chimney fires has increased substantially. There is therefore a need for a satisfactory device that can be used to remove the source of the fuel causing the chimney fire by cleaning the chimney while it is on fire. Any such device must be easy to use, minimize the dangers to the fire fighters and yet be effective as well as relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
Moreover, there is a need for a device for emergency fire use in chimney fires that is adaptable to varying sizes of chimneys and which can be quickly set up for use.